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It seemed like a good idea at the time.

If you are a part-time traveler, you can probably relate. While trudging through your 9-5, your trip planning grows more ambitious. While enjoying the comfort of my home sofa, catching the first shuttle bus of the day in Denali National Park, made so much sense.

When the alarm goes off at 4 am, while snuggled in my cozy bed at The Denali Dome Home Bed and Breakfast, I wondered whose crazy idea it was to get up this early…oh right…mine…

I’m considerably less grumpy as we are greeted with a lovely sunrise.

Half-asleep travelers board the 5:15 am green shuttle bus bound for Wonder Lake.

Terry, from the Denali Dome Bed and Breakfast, advised that the closer to the driver you sit, the less bumpy the ride. Also, if we wanted great views we should sit on the driver’s side. If we have a fear of heights, we should sit on the opposite side.

We plant into seats a few rows behind our driver Mike.

When Mike speaks he sounds like Batman. He’s serious and a bit gruff, but what Mike lacks in warm fuzzies, he makes up for in wildlife spotting and wildlife knowledge.

That minuscule, barely visible, white speck in the distance, is actually a Dall Sheep. Mike would have killed at playing Bear or Rock during our Uncruise.

Having a pair of binoculars is essential when visiting Denali National Park.

On the way to Wonder Lake, we spot a Mama Moose and calf, plenty of sheep and birds, and the best sighting of the day, a Mama Bear and two cubs.

It is a spectacularly clear day, so we become the privileged few who get a rare view of the usually-covered-in-clouds Mt. Denali. So rare is the sighting on this day, Mike makes extra stops at places with excellent mountain views, pleading,

“Take more pictures. Get a really good shot. You don’t understand how rare this view of the mountain is.”

I click away at Mike’s behest.

I read horror stories from people saying that the five-and-half hour bus ride, in Denali National Park, to Wonder Lake, is a long, exhausting, experience.

With wildlife to watch, and stunning scenery to gawk at from the bus window, time flies.

The shuttle bus stops about every hour-and-a-half at beautiful nature spots. At the stops we stretch our legs and/or use the available restrooms.

At Wonder Lake we step off the bus, prepared to stay for a while. With such a clear, rare, view of the mountain, how could we pass up visiting the Reflection Pond.

I’d read numerous posts about visiting Denali National Park, before we left for our trip to Alaska. Though I don’t remember whose post it was, thank you to the blogger who highly recommending bringing mosquito head nets to Wonder Lake.

The mosquitoes are plentiful and aggressive. Having the mosquito nets is a blessing. We are able to enjoy the lake without being eaten alive.

A group of twenty-somethings occupy the bus seats in front of us. I’m not exactly sure what kind of research they did, but at each stop, they rush to what seems to be pre-determined points for pre-planned photos. I assume they are taking pictures for their various social medias. Sadly, in all of their research, no one found the mosquito net information, or perhaps they thought the nets would ruin their photos. Standing at the edge of the lake, they try to group up for cool pics, but they can’t stop slapping themselves and frantically waving their hands, as the mosquitoes viciously attack. I smile with amusement.

At first we feel like our plan is thwarted.

I read that the Reflection Pond is “a bit of a walk” from the lake, but we learn that “a bit” is an understatement.

From the lake, one must walk quite a ways uphill, on the same, extremely narrow, dusty, gravel covered, road, that the buses travel on. It looks precarious. I’m not sure where you go if a bus is on the road the same time you are.

Once at the top of the road, there is still a hike along another, safer, road, to get to the pond.

Fortunately, we learn that it is possible to hop back onto the shuttle leaving Wonder Lake, and politely ask the driver to drop you off at the entrance to the road that leads to the pond.

Disappointment averted.

A couple, from Alabama, gets off with us. We chat about past travels, easily hiking along the road towards the pond.

We spot many ponds along the way, causing us to question how we will know when we’ve reached, the pond. Once we see the well worn path leading to the pond’s edge, we know we’ve reached the Reflection Pond.

Though the pond is a little ripply, and the light isn’t perfect, we’re still excited to capture mountain in pond.

Satisfied that our eyes and cameras successfully feasted on the view, the four of us hike back to the point where Mike dropped us off.

In no time, a green shuttle bus, making its way back from the lake, appears. Frantically waving our arms in the air, we manage to flag down the bus, driven by Chavez. The bus stops. It’s fairly empty, so we have no issues finding empty seats. We settle in for the five-and-a-half hour ride back to where our journey started.

While bus driver Mike taught us all about Denali National Park’s wildlife, Chavez gives us a lesson in the park’s geology.

Although I am slightly worn out from spending more than twelve hours in Denali National Park, I no longer regret the 4 am wake up, and I’m looking forward to doing it again tomorrow, for our second day in Denali National Park.

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